


An Accompanied Minor

by Sorio99



Series: Undertale Version 2.01: Â¥ß†´®¥ Ïø¬∂´® [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Puns And Good Times, Basically A Novelization, Because It Doesn't Really Fit Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Chara Being Weird, Chara Killed People, Chara Swearing, Chara is sarcastic, Frisk Is Not A Flirt Master, Frisk is a Sweetheart, Ghost Chara, I'm bad at writing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nonbinary Chara and Frisk, POV Chara, Snow Poff, Swearing, TW: Swearing, Weird Perspective Shifts, but a lot of talking about death, but not really, no blood really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-23 22:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13200372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorio99/pseuds/Sorio99
Summary: In Which Chara Is Forced To Accompany A Young And Stupid Human Through The Underground





	1. A New Morning

From the book “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic” by Dr. Sans Aster and Dr. Alphys Tate.

 

“Unlike ghost-monsters, there is a second possible method of creation which has been theorized. The theory posits a scenario in which a consciousness and soul are separated, most likely due to willing absorption of both the soul and the consciousness by a monster. Of course, there are very few documented cases of this method, due to very few documented cases of said absorption.”

 

* * *

 

 

You awoke in a patch of flowers.

 

No, that isn’t right. There is no “you” in this equation. Let’s try that again.

 

I awoke in a patch of flowers.

 

No, that isn’t right either. I didn’t really wake up until a minute or so later.

 

How about this:

 

Frisk awoke in a patch of flowers. They were confused, scared, and on the verge of crying. Where were they? What had they done? How did they get back?

 

After a little while just sitting among the flowers pondering these questions, they got up and walked to the next room.

 

That’s when I woke up.

 

…

 

Perhaps I should explain a bit more.

 

My name is Chara Dreemurr. My name before I fell is unknown and, to me, at least, unimportant. All you need to know about me, you know already.

 

These writings are not for your sake. They are not for my sake. They are a back-up plan. In the case of something going horribly wrong, this story shall live on, and, in some small way, the only friends I have ever had will live on.

 

Anyways.

 

…

 

I woke up properly once the flower started talking to them. I was…confused, to say the least.

 

‘Wait…what’s going on? I thought our plan failed…didn’t it?’

 

When I glanced down, I realized I was not wearing the same clothes I was when I died. Half a second later, I realized my skin was somehow a few shades darker than it had ever been when I was alive. It took me about 30 seconds to realize I may not actually be in my own body.

 

‘So…is this what being a ghost is like? Man, I should have asked the Blooks more questions before I died.’

 

Yes, at this point, I had registered I was a ghost, but not that I was in somebody else’s body. I was a little confused from the whole dying thing, alright?

 

I had just realized that little detail when I saw the bullets heading for the body’s soul. I barely had time to think of a word Mother would disapprove of when they collided.

 

The body doubled over in pain, leaving me out in the open completely free of a body.

 

‘Okay, whoever owns this body is alive for now, good to know.’

 

I was too busy trying to work out my own situation to register anything going on around me, and the next time I looked up, this new human was being led out of the room by my mother.

 

'Hey, wait up!'

 

She couldn’t hear me. They could.

 

…

 

The ruins weren’t this crumbled when I was alive.

 

Sure, there were signs of decay, there were always going to be, but they were still relatively well maintained.

 

In hindsight, it is odd that the ruins decayed over the century I was gone more than during the millennia before I existed. According to Mom, once she locked the Ruins door, the people who had been keeping the place clean and well-built couldn’t get in anymore. I guess that makes sense.

 

Nonetheless, it was an instant wake-up call when I first saw them. A thousand questions raced through my head. ‘How long have I been dead?’ ‘Why is Mother here?’ ‘Where’s Dad?’ ‘When did this happen?’ ‘What is going on here?’

 

The first question to be answered, though, was the one I had from the second I realized I wasn’t in my own body.

 

‘Who is this kid?’

 

…

 

It’s weird sharing a body with someone. I learned this a LONG time before Frisk fell, but it doesn’t really set in until you have to share not only a body, but a SOUL, with someone you’ve never met before.

 

Everything this kid smelt, I smelt. Everything they heard, I heard. If I concentrated, I could even see through their eyes, which was extremely weird considering they were moving on their own.

 

Don’t get me wrong, something similar happened when Asriel took my soul, but at least there was my own soul to anchor onto. Here, I could tell right away that I was leaching off of the kid’s soul, because I could barely feel an emotion without tapping into theirs. If I was an emotional wreck before I died, clearly things were only going to get worse afterwards.

Luckily, the kid seemed pretty self-reliant. By the time we got to the “spike maze”, I could feel them getting bored with Mother’s literal hand-holding. It appeared that I wouldn’t need to do too much in order to keep this new body alive.

 

…

 

It wasn’t until Mother left them in the pillar room that I actually tried communicating with them.

 

'…so, who are you?'

 

“Oh! Hi! I’m Frisk”

 

'Huh. So, you can speak.'

 

“Of course, I can! I just don’t like to that much.”

 

'Yeah. I understand. I’m like that sometimes as well.'

 

“…”

 

'…why are you here?'

 

“Oh, w-well, I was…”

 

'You know you can’t just leave, right?'

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

'Ugh. Never mind.'

 

“…so, what’s your name?”

 

'Chara. My name is Chara.'

 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Chara!”

 

'Hm.'

 

“…so, are you a ghost?”

 

'I guess so. I’m certainly not a human anymore.'

 

“Right. Well, I’m sorry.”

 

'For what?'

 

“That you died.”

 

'It isn’t your fault. I was just too sick to stay alive.'

 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

'…you’re a weird kid. You know that, right?'

 

“Yeah. I know.”

 

…

 

After that, it wasn’t long before the kid started moving again. I followed behind them, and we continued chatting as we went. Nothing too fancy or important, just the sort of meaningless things an eight-year old child and twelve-year old ghost say to each other when they first meet. They weren’t rude or anything. In fact, they were nicer than pretty much any human I’d ever met before in my life. It was weird, but I could get used to it. After all, Asriel was the same way as a kid.

 

Then they ran into a Froggit.

 

…

 

'Life is difficult for this monster. You should try cheering them up.'

 

“Okay, how do I do that?”

 

'Well, experience has taught me that a tactical flirt does wonders for a frog’s self-esteem.'

 

“What?! No! I can’t flirt with it!”

 

'Don’t worry, it’s sentient, so it isn’t weird.'

 

“No, it’s not that! I just…”

 

'What?'

 

“I…I don’t like flirting with people, okay?”

 

'…you realize I can go through your memories, right?'

 

“WELL, DON’T DO THAT!!!”

 

'Calm down! Look, just compliment them, and they’ll take it as a flirt.'

 

“Um…you have nice…eyes?”

 

'Actually, its real eyes are the ones down there.'

 

“CHARA!”

 

'Relax. Froggit didn't understand what you said, but was flattered anyway.'

 

“Okay…now what?”

 

'Oh, just avoid the bullets.'

 

“WOAH!”

 

…

 

It was very clear Frisk was going to need my help to get through even the Ruins. That wasn’t even considering what would happen when they reached New Home. How would they get out without a boss monster soul?

 

More importantly, why were all these monsters attacking? Back when I first fell down, even the most aggressive people in the underground refused to even try and fight me. What happened while I was dead? Why was everyone so hostile?

 

And why was Mother back in the Ruins?

 

…

 

Once we got past the room with the absurdly obstinate rock, we ended up in a room with none other than NapstaBlook. If you’re reading this, you more than likely know who NapstaBlook is, but if you do not, they’re the youngest member of the Blook family of ghosts. Of course, even as the youngest, they’re still centuries older than I am, so they were still around when I was alive.

 

I remember feeling a buzzing in my head, and almost a warning of “Do not approach them”, but I couldn’t help myself when I saw them.

 

'Napsta? Is that you?!'

 

They sat up from the pile of leaves they were laying on when I spoke to them. I remember, when I was around eleven and a half, asking one of the older Blooks if humans had ghosts, and they responded that some do, but only other ghosts can see them. Apparently, the old specter wasn’t lying.

 

“Chara? I thought you were dead?”

 

'I was! At least, I think I was. I’m pretty sure I still am, actually. Sorry.'

 

“That’s okay. I’m sorry you’re dead.”

 

'Um…it’s okay. I mean, I’m still here, right?'

 

“Right. I g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-.”

 

And suddenly a battle started, and they attacked. Frisk, appropriately, was freaked out.

 

“Uh, Chara, what’s going on?”

 

'I don’t know! I thought we were just talking!'

 

“What do I do?!”

 

'Um, move to the left. NO WAIT I MEAN RI-'

 

And then they took fatal damage.

 

…

 

Within fifteen seconds, we were back in the room with a mouse hole and stale cheese. Frisk was still alive.

 

“What just happened?”

 

'I…I don’t know.'

 

…

 

After that, I decided not to interfere with Frisk’s interactions with NapstaBlook. It went much better.

 

…

 

I don’t know if this is worthwhile. I don’t know if anyone else will ever see this. I’m not even sure if I can remember everything that happened 100% accurately. All I know is, if nothing else, I want some small part of me to go on, no matter what happens to this world.

 

I just hope I stay with it.

 


	2. All By Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Our Two Protagonists Get Into A Philosophical Discussion Over The Merits Of Bed Naming Systems.

From the book “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic” by Dr. Sans Aster and Dr. Alphys Tate.

 

“For a long time, soul-classifiers attempted to merge Determination’s definition in with either Perseverance or Bravery, as there are numerous similarities between all three. However, while proponents of this claimed that the differences were mere anomalies in the soul and personality, said differences were often too pronounced to be written off as mere coincidence. Instead, these differences were merged into Determination’s current definition.”

 

* * *

 

So, I had Sans read my last chapter, and he commented I tended to be a little disjointed when I wrote. So, I’m going to try to write a little more flowingly. Flowingly. That can’t be a word, it just can’t be. Whatever. If I didn’t want to make mistakes, I wouldn’t have jumped into a mountain.

 

I’m getting off-topic, I know, but this is just how my brain works, okay? I can’t just be like “hey, focus on this thing”, I trail off, I stutter, and my eraser is freaking garbage and it leaves the page all PINK for some reason and

 

Let me try again. I find it difficult to write this as “flowingly” as I would want because, quite simply, there’s not always a lot to say. I mean, what do I write? “And then Frisk pressed a switch. And then Frisk pushed a rock. And then Frisk pushed another rock.” No! Because that’s pointless! Nobody reading this needs to hear every single tiny detail about how we solved the puzzles, or got past monsters. I’m just focusing on the parts that are actually interesting or important.

 

Now, with that out of the way, let’s continue.

 

…

 

I have to admit, I’m still not used to dying.

 

I know, you’d think I, of all people, should be accustomed to it, but it’s not something you can really get used to.

 

Frisk only ended up dying twice after the little freak-out with NapstaBlook. Once to a particularly aggressive Eyewalker, and once to a Vegetoid, because they couldn’t understand that Green is good, White is bad.

 

For the record, I did end up going back and talking to NapstaBlook after Frisk left the room. Luckily, nothing bad happened this time, and Napsta was just the same as they were when I was alive. Apparently, they’re cousins all got vessels while I was gone, though, which kind of bummed them out. They’ve never really felt comfortable in any bodies except their own.

 

Can’t say I can relate much.

 

…

 

When we found Mom, Frisk was hanging on by about 2 HP. Naturally, she was horrified at the state they were in, but luckily, she still knew her healing magic. She brought Frisk inside and showed them around, before leaving them outside their new room.

 

I have to admit, seeing Mom be so instantly accepting of Frisk living with her, possibly forever, was…uncomfortable. Back when I first fell Underground, she was the one most hesitant to take me in. As far as I can tell, she grew to like me fine enough over the year I was down there, but this was just weird and, well, slightly creepy.

 

Luckily, I had bigger things to worry about than my mother acting strangely. Like Frisk climbing into Asriel’s bed.

 

'WHOA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!'

 

“Going to bed?”

 

'Do you have any…okay. Just…don’t do anything…weird in it.'

 

“What do you mean weird?”

 

'You know, like…squishy…touchy…stuff.'

 

“Eeewww. You’re gross.”

 

'Look, I don’t know what to do here, okay? This is just weird.'

 

“Well, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

 

'What is there to tell? I was a kid, I died, now I’m a ghost. Congrats, you now know everything about me.'

 

“No, I mean, what was your life like?”

 

'Look, how about this. You ask me simple yes or no questions, and I’ll answer honestly. Sound good?'

 

“Okay, then, how old were you?”

 

'That’s not a yes or no question.'

 

“Come on!”

 

'Ugh, fine! I was twelve.'

 

“Oh man, I thought you were a teenager.”

 

'What? Why?'

 

“I don’t know, you seemed really mature, but you’re still all short and pudgy.”

 

'I AM NOT PUDGY! Look, you try eating next to nothing for eleven years then getting spoiled rotten for twelve months.'

 

“Okay, okay. Did you live down here?”

 

'During my last year, yeah.'

 

“Did you come down here willingly?”

 

'For some value of ‘willingly’.'

 

“Did you want to die when you climbed Mount Ebott?”

 

'…Frisk, what the hell?'

 

“Sorry! Sorry! That was too far.”

 

'Yeah, no shit it was too far! Seriously, Frisk, what the fuck?!'

 

“I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me!”

 

'I…Frisk, I can’t…I wouldn’t…I wasn’t even thinking…'

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

 

I have to admit, I felt sorry for them. I know what it’s like, feeling like every bad thing you do could get you yelled at, or hit, or…well.

 

I felt guiltier then than I ever had before. And I’d killed people before that, so that’s saying a lot.

 

A part of me, a big one, wanted to ask what happened to them, what their childhood was like, why they climbed the mountain, but I couldn’t. Now wasn’t the time, and I shouldn’t expect them to share something so personal after I had scared them like that.

 

So, I brought up the first thing I could think of.

 

'You know, that bed’s called a twin bed.'

 

“…really?”

 

'Yeah…what?'

 

“Why is it a twin bed? It can only fit one of me.”

 

'Well, do you have a twin sibling?'

 

“I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

 

'Then maybe that’s why you’re so…'

 

“…what are you- ”

 

'Twin-secure?!'

 

“…I’m going to sleep.”

 

'Oh, come on, that was perfect!'

 

…

 

Speaking of sleep, I’m feeling tired myself. Yes, ghosts can feel tired too, shut up.

 

I’m going to go to bed. Hopefully I’ll write again tomorrow.

 

See you then.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter and more meta this time. Hopefully I'll have chapter three out by tomorrow before midnight. I want to get the first three chapters out before 2018.


	3. Attacked By Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Chara Is Really Sad, Then Really Happy, Then Really Angry.

From “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic”

 

“Boss-monsters are the most powerful monster sub-species for multiple reasons. Firstly, their bodies are comprised of more solid matter than any other sub-species, yet they often possess the most magic of any generation. This makes them both more durable and more capable in any given scenario.”

 

 

* * *

 

I stayed up while Frisk slept (it wasn’t too hard, they only slept for an hour at most), and about halfway through, Mom left them a piece of pie on the floor. I don’t know why she left it on the floor, there’s a desk not two meters away from the bed, but I guess she likes having human kids step in warm cinnamon-butterscotch pie. Unfortunately for her, that didn’t happen this time.

 

'Morning, sleepy-head.'

 

“Mph. Hi Chara.”

 

'Are you okay? I’m sorry about earlier.'

 

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t be so sensitive.”

 

'It isn’t your fault.'

 

“No, no, I should be calmer, I should be used to yelling, I just…you know.”

 

'…yeah. I really do.'

 

“One rule, though?”

 

'What is it?'

 

“No more puns.”

 

'Oh, come on!'

 

“They are the lowest form of humor.”

 

'They’re the HIGHEST form of humor, thank you very much.'

 

“They’re terrible.”

 

'I can’t believe this. How did I get saddled with the brat who doesn’t like puns?'

 

“Brat? I’m only four years younger than you.”

 

'Well…wait, you’re only eight?'

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

What I wanted to say was “Why would you climb a mountain with the intention to die at only eight years old?”

 

What I ACTUALLY said was 'But you’re as tall as me!'

 

“So, I hit my growth spurt a little early, so what?”

 

'Well, I guess that’s one mystery about you solved.'

 

“Yeah…”

 

'…so, what’s your gender?'

 

“Really? You’re just gonna come out and ask like that?”

 

'Hey, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.'

 

“Well, I’m genderfluid, so. There’s that.”

 

'Huh. Well, I have a confession.'

 

“What?”

 

'I tricked you. I don’t have a gender. HAH!'

 

“…so agender?”

 

'Yeah, I’m agender.'

 

“Cool.”

 

'…also, there’s a pie on the floor for you.'

 

“Ooh, pie!”

 

…

 

We must have talked for a good half-hour after that, but only one of the topics we discussed really stuck with me: they wanted to leave.

 

'Why?'

 

“What do you mean, why? I need to go home.”

 

'A home that made you willing to climb a death mountain. Of course, why wouldn’t you want to go back there?'

 

“Look, it’s not like that, okay? They’re just-”

 

'Don’t even try. If they care that little about you, they don’t deserve you.'

 

“I can’t just stay here! I need to go back, I need to get out, I need…I need…”

 

'…you can’t leave the Underground.'

 

“Why not?”

 

'Because to do that, you’d need to kill someone.'

 

“…what?”

 

'You can’t leave without a monster’s soul, and you can only take one if they die.'

 

“…I don’t believe you.”

 

'Have you ever killed anyone, Frisk?'

 

“What? N-no.”

 

'Well, let me tell you, it isn’t nice. It never leaves you, no matter how hard you try to forget.'

 

“Shut up.”

 

'Do you want to do that? Could you do that?'

 

“Shut up.”

 

'Could you kill them? Could you take another living being’s so-'

 

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

 

They threw the plate the pie was on at me. I didn’t dodge it in time, but luckily, as a ghost, I didn’t have to. It just went through me and shattered against the wall.

 

“JUST SHUT UP! YOU’RE A LIAR! HOW DARE YOU! I’M…I’m…I’m…”

 

They were freezing. I knew the feeling.

 

Just then, Mom burst in the room. I was almost thankful for the distraction.

 

“My child, are you…oh my! Did you…”

 

“…I’m sorry, Miss Toriel.”

 

“I-it is alright, my child. It is far from the only plate we have here. Let me just clean it up.”

 

She started picking up the broken shards of ceramic. Of course, she brought the fancy plates with her down here. She grew up as a noble, she’d be used to such luxuries.

 

I looked back at Frisk. They had a terrified look in their eyes.

 

Just then, I had a terrible thought.

 

The only monster soul that can persist outside a body is that of a boss monster.

 

Assuming Asriel was as dead as I was…

 

Frisk would have to kill either Mom or Dad.

 

…

 

By the time Mom finished cleaning, Frisk was asking how to leave.

 

I tried talking to them, but they seemed determined not to listen to me.

 

I guess they’d figured out what I must have done in the past.

 

Eventually, Mom ran down into the basement, saying there was something she had to do.

 

Frisk went to follow her, and I was following behind them when I saw something.

 

The calendar on the wall.

 

It read “September 15, 2140”.

 

I’d been dead for 125 years.

 

What the hell had happened in that time?

 

…

 

“You wish to know how to return "home," do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs.”

 

“Wait, Miss Toriel!”

 

“Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. You naive child... If you leave the RUINS... They... ASGORE... Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? ... go to your room.”

 

“Please, Ma’am, I just…”

 

“Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning.”

 

“I…I can’t…”

 

'Just listen to her Frisk…'

 

“No! I need to go, I can’t just…stay here forever.”

 

“You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.”

 

“I…I’m sorry, Miss Toriel.”

 

'…Toriel blocks the way.'

 

…

 

Before we go on to the actual fight, can I just say she REALLY threw me for a loop when she said “Asgore will kill you”? DAD?! The fluffy old goat who once got STABBED in the CHEST and just laughed it off? Granted, it was with a stick, but still! What the hell could have happened in the past hundred years to make him want to kill humans?!

 

Yes, I’m aware of the irony, asking what could push him to it when I’m to blame, but to be fair, I didn’t realize it back then. What can I say? I never really think through my plans.

 

Why do you think I have a body count?

 

…

 

Frisk wasn’t a great dodger.

 

That probably explains how they died to a freaking Eyewalker, but by the fifth attack, they were down to 2 HP.

 

They ate the pie then, which was odd for me since I could feel them eating it.

 

I have to admit, I never really got used to magic food. When I first fell down, the monsters still had some actual physical food, and since I was the first human down there in centuries, I got most of it. When I did eat magic food, it always felt weird. Like drinking water that instantly evaporates in your mouth, which is doubly accurate for monster drinks.

 

Nonetheless, it brought Frisk back up to full health…only for them to fall straight back down four turns later.

 

'Please…just listen to her…'

 

“…I can’t…”

 

“…?”

 

'Wait, what?'

 

“What are you doing? Attack or run away!”

 

“No!”

 

“What are you proving this way? Fight me or leave!”

 

“…”

 

“Stop it. Stop looking at me that way.”

 

'Frisk…'

 

“…”

 

'What _are_ you doing?'

 

It took me a few seconds to realize she was purposefully avoiding their soul with her attacks.

 

“I know you want to go home, but…”

 

“…”

 

“But please… Go upstairs now.”

 

“…”

 

“I promise I will take good care of you here. I know we do not have much, but... We can have a good life here.”

 

“…”

 

“Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs.”

 

“…no. I can’t. I’m sorry.”

 

“... Ha ha. Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child.”

 

I expected them to stay silent again.

 

Instead, they walked up to her and put their arms around her.

 

“No, you aren’t.”

 

“M-my child?”

 

“I’m sorry I can’t stay with you. I wish I could. You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. But…I need to go back to where I came from.”

 

“I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down there. The RUINS are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside.”

 

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

 

They let each other go. I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like when I had talked to NapstaBlook.

 

This time, though, nothing came of it.

 

“If you truly wish to leave the RUINS... I will not stop you. However, when you leave... Please do not come back.”

 

Frisk looked heartbroken at that, but they nodded anyways.

 

“I hope you understand…”

 

She opened the door, and made motions to go back upstairs, but she turned back one last time.

 

“Goodbye, my child.”

 

And with that, she was gone.

 

And Frisk looked like they were about to cry.

 

'Frisk, are you okay?'

 

“Yeah…I’m sorry.”

 

'For what?'

 

“Getting mad at you earlier. I shouldn’t have…”

 

'Hey, it’s fine. It happens. Everything’s going to be okay.'

 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

 

'I don’t either. But seeing what you’ve done, what you just did…if anyone can make it out as themselves, it would be you.'

 

“Heh…thanks.”

 

'No problem.'

 

“Chara?”

 

'Yeah, Frisk?'

 

“I’m glad you’re here.”

 

'…me too, Frisk. Me too.'

 

We walked through the door, out into the world…

 

And there was that goddamn flower.

 

“Clever. Verrrryyy clever.

You think you're really smart, don't you?

So you were able to play by your own rules.

You spared the life of a single person.

I bet you feel really great.

You didn't kill anybody this time.

But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer?

You'll die and you'll die and you'll die.

Until you tire of trying.

What will you do then?

Will you kill out of frustration?

Or will you give up entirely on this world...

...and let ME inherit the power to control it?

I am the prince of this world's future.

Don't worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't regicide.

This is SO much more interesting.”

 

And with that, he was gone again. At that moment, my mind was filled with one very specific thought.

 

'God, I wish could crush plants.'

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing angry-Chara. I can't wait to write even more of them later!
> 
> Also, yes, bringing up their genders WAS necessary, thank you very much.


	4. Another Goddamned Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Chara Finds Skeletons More Amusing Than Frisk.

From “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic”

 

 “Skeleton-monsters come in two varieties: soft-bodied and hard-bodied. Simply put, soft-bodied skeletons have much looser bodies, while hard-bodies skeletons are typically much more rigid. In addition, hard-bodied skeletons more commonly resemble actual human skeletons, while soft-bodied skeletons more often appear more cartoonish in their appearance.”

 

* * *

 

I’ve found I’ve had quite a bit of trouble writing recently. Perhaps it is due to the persistent presence of a certain pun-obsessed skeleton within my own home, or trouble replicating his…unique way of speech.

 

In all honesty, the biggest problem is conveying a certain experience Underground most unique to myself. I’ve mentioned it before, describing it as a buzzing in my “ears”, or a nagging feeling in my head. Indeed, that is how I experienced it at first. However, there was a much more severe effect of the phenomenon. The only time I had experienced it by this part, however, was right before Napsta attacked, when I assumed it was merely a part of my own thoughts.

 

I only fully realized it when we met Sans.

 

…

 

They’d just walked out of the Ruins into Greater Snowdin. I recognized the area vaguely, though it showed a few signs of the immense span of time that was my absence. New trees, deeper snow, branches fallen everywhere-it was as if the entire Underground had simply stopped caring about keeping itself tidy.

 

Obviously, I was less focused on that at the time than I was on the flower.

 

‘Who the HELL does he think he is?! He does NOT get to talk to us that way.’

 

“He was talking to me, and unless I’m mistaken, you were saying pretty much the same thing not half an hour ago.”

 

‘That was different! That stupid flower piece of-‘

 

“His name’s Flowey.”

 

‘Who cares! He’s an asshole! He should-wait, watch out!’

 

They managed to narrowly avoid tripping over the log they were about to step straight into. Then they tried to pick it up.

 

‘Whoa, there. That’s a tough-looking branch, but it’s way too heavy for you to just pick up and swing around.’

 

“Eh, whatever. If I desperately need a weapon, I can just use the toy knife or the stick.”

 

‘I’ve been meaning to ask, where did you even-‘

 

Just then, we heard the loudest crack behind us. We had kept moving after Frisk had given up on carrying a third of a tree with them, and when we looked back…

 

‘It’s been smashed like it was nothing.’

 

“…this isn’t good, is it?”

 

‘I’m going to say no.’

 

…

 

“Chara, what do I do?”

 

‘I don’t know, just keep moving.’

 

“Oh god, there’s a gate. How do I get through?!”

 

‘Uh, maybe the bars are wide enough to pass through? What else can we-‘

 

“ **Human.**

**Don’t you know how to greet a new pal?**

**Turn around…**

**And shake my hand.** ”

 

‘Oh god, I can’t watch.’

 

“Uh…what?”

 

Then I heard the whoopee cushion go off.

 

“heh. the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it’s always funny.”

 

I finally looked at our mystery stalker. He was a short, pudgy, skeleton wearing a blue…why am I describing his appearance? It’s Sans. Who the hell is going to read this and not know who Sans is?! Ugh. Whatever. You get the idea.

 

That was when Frisk had the brilliant idea to TALK to the stranger strong enough to break hard wood like a freaking dry saltine.

 

“Um…hi, Mister Skeleton. My name’s Frisk!”

 

“frisk, huh? nice to meet ya.”

 

Remember that thing I was talking about earlier? The buzzing, awkward, nauseous feeling I got right before things got weird? Well, I had it again here, only it was a million times louder. It was like hearing a million different speeches, all being spoken by different people, and none of them share any words. The only sentence I was able to pick out with any regularity was the phrase “Something is terribly wrong”. I didn’t understand it then.

 

I do now.

 

…

 

“so, you’re a human, right?”

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“heh. that’s hilarious. don’t tell me you don’t know.”

 

“Know what?”

 

“well, see, i’m kinda a sentry for the king. and i have orders to capture any humans i meet.”

 

“…ah.”

 

“but, to be honest, i don’t really feel like capturing anybody today.”

 

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”

 

“hey, don’t thank me yet. i may not want to capture you, but my bro sure will. the guy’s, like, a human hunting fanatic.”

 

“Oh boy.”

 

“hey, don’t worry about it. just follow my lead, and do what i say, and you’ll be fine.”

 

“Okay, what do I need to do?”

 

“well, you see that lamp over there?”

 

* * *

 

“sup, bro?”

 

“YOU KNOW WHAT'S "SUP," BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?”

 

“just keeping watch. had to scare off a coupla teens earlier.”

 

“…REALLY?”

 

“yeah, i’m not kidding. they can be a little annoying, you know?”

 

“UGH, DO I. JUST LAST WEEK, THAT DRAKE WITH THE SUNGLASSES ATTEMPTED TO JEER ME! HE SAID, AND I QUOTE, ‘YOUR OUTFIT IS WACK AND YOU LOOK LIKE A ROBOT’.”

 

“you remember what he said a ‘week’ ago?”

 

“OF COURSE! ALL REDICULOUS CLAIMS AND MOCKERY OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS ARE RECORDED IN TRIPLICATE, SO THAT ONCE I HAVE ATTAINED THE FAME AND FORTUNE I AM DESTINED TO ACQUIRE, I MAY ASK THEM TO APOLOGIZE. IF THEY DO, THEN WE CAN BECOME THE TRUEST AND DEAREST OF FRIENDS!”

 

“and if they don’t apologize?”

 

“THEN! WELL. I’M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT I WOULD DO THEN. BUT I’M SURE IF THEY UNDERSTOOD HOW MUCH I WAS HURT BY THEIR COMMENTS THEY WOULD APOLOGIZE SWIFTLY AND PROFUSELY.”

 

“wow. you know, that’s what i like about you, papy. you’re a cut above the rust.”

 

“SANS, THAT IS NOT HOW YOU PRONOUNCE…WAIT…WERE YOU TRYING TO MAKE A PUN OUT OF MY NAME?”

 

“…maybe.”

 

“…AND THAT WAS ALL YOU COULD COME UP WITH?”

 

“admittedly, it wasn’t my bust.”

 

“UGH!!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOU…CONTINUE WATCHING. I GET THE FEELING SOMETHING BIG IS GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY.”

 

“sure thing, bro.”

 

“…”

 

“…alright, you can come out now.”

 

* * *

 

…

 

We stood behind that conveniently shaped lamp and just listened to them ramble on. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the skeleton brothers. I’m sorry, but Papyrus is just too darn funny, even when he isn’t trying to be!

 

Frisk says they didn’t find that conversation even slightly funny, but hey, comedy is subjective.

 

As for Sans…look, I spent a year under the Dreemurr roof. If you were exposed to Miss Toriel for that long, you would have an affinity for puns too.

 

In any case, once Papyrus took off, Sans called us back over, and Frisk asked the important questions.

 

“Really? ‘Rust’? That’s the best you could come up with?”

 

“come on, cut me some slack, improv was never one of my talents. i work better with a script.”

 

“Whatever. I need to get going.”

 

“hey, wait a sec. i was thinking…my brother’s been kind of down lately…”

 

‘that’s down for him?’

 

“he’s never seen a human before. and seeing you might just make his day.”

 

“Um, I’m not sure if-”

 

“oh, don’t worry, he’s not dangerous. even if he tries to be.”

 

“Well…if you say so…”

 

“thanks a million. i’ll be up ahead.”

 

“Okay. See you.”

 

And here’s where the metaphorical alarm bells started ringing.

 

“oh, and by the way.

 

keep an eye out for any ghosts you might come across.”

 

And just like that, he wandered off into the distance.

 

…

 

Other than Sans possibly hinting that he knew I existed and was not a huge fan, on conversations with the brothers were fairly relaxed. Frisk was mostly speechless whenever we encountered them, I assume because they were in sheer awe of Papyrus’s rugged good looks and devili

 

 

 

Apologies. Certain members of this family cannot understand the humor involved in a hearty round of libel and slander.

 

In any case, I’m aware anyone reading this is probably well-versed in all matters Papyrus and Sans, so I’m guessing there’s no point in recounting our encounters with them. Hence why I didn’t include the conversation while we were behind the lamp. Still, I should not one jerkish thing Sans did near the electricity maze.

 

…

 

“SANS! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!”

 

“i think the human has to hold the orb.”

 

“OH, OKAY.”

 

‘Heh, he’s making the path through for us. This will be a piece of cake.’

 

“hey, bro?”

 

“YES, SANS? WHAT IS IT NOW?”

 

“look down.”

 

“…AH. HERE’S A BETTER IDEA”

 

And then he chucked the orb directly into Frisk’s face. Let me tell you. That’s one feeling I wish I didn’t get to share.

 

“JUST PICK THAT UP AND WALK THROUGH THE MAZE!”

 

‘…Sans, I swear to God…’

 

...

 

Like I said, other than that, the brothers didn’t prove much of a problem. What DID prove a problem was the Royal Guard. Seriously, when I was alive, all the guards did was water flowers and keep kids from harassing Old Monster Gyfscamper. Now, it seemed like every corner we turned, it was Doggo this, Dogamy that, I swear to God these dogs just kept coming, it was such a load of

_And Chara has lost their pencil privileges for the day. Apologies, Mx. Diary, but I’m afraid this entry is going to have to be cut a little short. I’m sure as soon as Chara apologies for being rude and gets their pencil back, they will go right back to writing in you._

 

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay. Among many personal reasons for me to take a pause in writing, I honestly don't have too many ideas for Snowdin. Like Chara said, if you're reading this, you probably know how most of this goes. Honestly, most of the story is probably going to be a lot quicker from here on in, with occasional pauses for the boss fights and any major deviations from the game.
> 
> Also, I hope everyone understood what I was going for earlier. I'm nervous it's not written well enough to be coherent.
> 
> My apologies if this chapter was shorter than you may have been hoping for. If so, then, uh...April Fool's? I guess? I don't know.
> 
> Next chapter will hopefully be out before August, but I don't promise anything.


	5. A Ridiculous Marathon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Chara Gets Tired Of Frisk’s Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so, I usually prefer to put the AN at the end of the chapter for this story, but I felt like I should give fair warning: this chapter is...different. I'm trying something a little more experimental with this one. Let me know if you like it or hate it!
> 
> Also, YAY, less then three months this time!

From “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic”

 

“Note: this section has been removed due to creative differences between the two authors.

aka: alphys doesn’t like puns.

They’re a lower form of humor and you know it!”

 

* * *

 

So, on Chara and Sans’s advice, I got my own diary! Hi!

 

I’m gonna name you Larry.

 

* * *

 

So, Frisk finally gave me back my journal, after they got their own. Great.

 

Anyways, if I remember correctly, we were in Snowdin.

 

* * *

 

log entry 61-66

 

date: september 15, 2140

 

cycle: prc-1-4

 

time of start: 6:30 am

 

contact has been made with the human. everything seems okay; they’re still at lv 1, 0 exp. now it’s just a matter of keeping them there.

 

* * *

 

I remember thinking Sans and Papyrus were kinda weird at first. Like, seriously, who tells a kid to hide behind a lamp? Heck, who even OWNS a child shaped lamp?

 

Still, I liked Sans, mainly because he was nice to me. He was kinda like Ms. Toriel, only my height and bony.

 

And less fluffy, so hugs hurt more with him.

 

Anyways, Snowdin was really fun!

 

* * *

 

Snowdin was a nightmare.

 

Don’t get me wrong, the people were nice, getting to watch Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Smug is always a blast, and I even like some of the games, but Frisk…

 

I think, among about a hundred other issues they have, both from before and since their fall, they’re either really OCD, or really ADD. I’ll admit I’m not a psychological expert, but I have my reasons.

 

* * *

 

‘Frisk, you’ve been at this for hours. Just let it go.’

 

“No! I know there’s a red flag. I just have to do this perfectly!”

 

‘Frisk, I tried for almost a YEAR to get the red flag. I’m still pretty sure it’s a myth! Do you really think you’ll get it in a day?!’

 

“Hey, technically, we have infinite time. We can go back whenever!”

 

‘Yes, by DYING. Does that sound fun to you?’

 

“Oh, come on. The monsters here attack with snow and ice. It’s not exactly painful.”

 

‘UGGGH.’

 

* * *

 

“SANS, IS THE HUMAN STILL ATTEMPTING TO BEST BALL GAME?”

 

“yeah, i don’t think they’re stopping until they get the red flag.”

 

“EGADS! WHY, NO ONE IN SNOWDIN HAS EVER ACHIEVED A RED FLAG!”

 

“i thought ‘he’ did, once.”

 

“HE DOESN’T COUNT! WE BOTH KNOW HE WAS PROBABLY CHEATING.”

 

* * *

 

In order to achieve a red flag in a traditional round of “Ball Game”, one must get the snowball, or “snowdecahedron”, as it’s formally called, within the hole in a 10 second time window.

 

Asriel and I tried for 11 months to get that stupid ball in the hole that fast, and the closest we ever got was the orange flag. I genuinely believed the game was somehow rigged - like somehow, when they were setting the automation up, they messed up and didn’t put in a red flag.

 

* * *

 

It took me a little while, but I finally did it!

 

* * *

 

It took them 73 tries, but they actually did it.

 

* * *

 

it took 14 reloads, but the kid really did it.

 

* * *

 

‘Was it worth it?’

 

“Yeah it was! Look, it has all these words in colors. That must mean something!”

 

‘Yeah, it’s soul traits. I could have told you all those.’

 

“…Oh.”

 

* * *

 

“REMIND ME AGAIN WHY WE HAVE TO PUT ON THIS CHARADE? IF WE KNOW THEIR INTENTIONS ARE GOOD, SURELY THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!”

 

“well, first, like you said, if someone you’ve never met before just waltzed right up to you and acted like you were live-long friends, you’d be a little put-off by it, right?”

 

“I SUPPOSE.”

 

“plus, we technically don’t know if their intentions are good. this isn’t exactly a science, ya know.”

 

“WELL, TECHNICALLY, IT COULD BE. PROBABLY A PART OF PROGRAMMING.”

 

“look, i don’t care what alphys says, programming isn’t science.”

 

“I THOUGHT IT WAS A SCIENCE OF COMPUTERS?”

 

“comp-sci is less scientific then psychology.”

 

“I AM ASSUMING BY YOUR TONE AND CONTEXT THAT MAY BE CONSTRUED AS A BURN?”

 

“yup.”

 

“NICE.”

 

* * *

 

I’ll be honest, and Chara’s gonna hate me for this, but I do honestly prefer Junior Jumble.

 

* * *

 

The moment Papyrus said he preferred that “puzzle” to crosswords was the moment I lost all faith in monster-kind.

 

* * *

 

I mean, it’s just more fun, okay? Crosswords are too long and boring!

 

* * *

 

Junior Jumble would be a waste of the ink used to make it if you were literally drowning in ink.

 

* * *

 

‘You DID just say you preferred Jumble to appease him…right?’

 

* * *

 

I’d be willing to praise Jumble’s to anyone!

 

* * *

 

“Oh, of course! I mean, why would I prefer Jumble, that’s just silly!”

 

* * *

 

cycle: prc-1-21

 

time of start: 7:35

 

i think the kid’s starting to crack a little. i mean, it took them nearly an hour to figure out the snow puzzle.

 

* * *

 

“Why is there more snow here than anywhere else on the ground?”

 

‘Maybe because it’s not completely surrounded by trees?’

 

“Makes sense. Wanna check the North-West corner?”

 

* * *

 

i’m beginning to worry. i mean, i don’t think they want to hurt anyone. they seem nice, friendly, even a little too sympathetic. the problem is, they don’t seem to be the smartest.

 

* * *

 

“WHY is this so HARD?!”

 

‘I think you start from the top-right.’

 

“I AM starting there! I still can’t figure it out!”

 

‘Hey, don’t blame me. This puzzle wasn’t around when I was down here.”

 

“RRGGHH.”

 

* * *

 

well, that’s not fair. they’re plenty smart, and they sure ain’t stupid. the problem is, i think, they aren’t the best with out-of-the-box thinking.

 

still, they are definitely rigorous.

 

* * *

 

‘Behold! A snow poff.’

 

“Just a few more, and I promise, we’ll be done.”

 

* * *

 

for better or for worse.

 

* * *

 

‘YOU’VE SEARCHED EVERY SINGLE SNOW POFF IN THIS PLACE, AND NONE OF THEM WERE EVEN SLIGHTLY INTERESTING! JUST MOVE ON!’

 

* * *

 

usually, for the better.

 

* * *

 

‘…’

 

“Say it.”

 

‘Mm.’

 

“Say the thing.”

 

‘Nnmm.’

 

“Come on. You know you wanna.”

 

‘…there’s 30 G inside the snow poff.’

 

“Yes! I told you so!”

 

‘FRISK, WILL YOU JUST-’

 

* * *

 

still, i wonder if they’ll be okay once they leave snowdin. after all, not every puzzle is gonna have papyrus to give away the answer.

 

* * *

 

We finally reached Snowdin after a…subpar final gauntlet by Papyrus. I encouraged Frisk to take a break and nap at the Snowed Inn. Judging by their rest back in Home, and if they hadn’t changed their charging policy, it’d be a pretty much free heal. And considering how many times they got killed by Ice Cap, of all people, they needed all the help they could get.

 

* * *

 

I think I’m gonna end this entry here. I need to get some sleep in the present too, after all!

 

I’ll see you tomorrow, Larry!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, let me explain.
> 
> I wanted to do this whole fic as basically being taken straight out of Chara's "journal", hence why I went to the trouble of getting their "signature". However, by the last chapter, it became clear that wasn't going to be enough for me to tell this story. Plus, I was really struggling with ideas of how to make this chapter interesting. I mean, if you've played the game, you pretty much know everything that's gonna happen here. The only dialogue is between the skele-bros, Frisk, and/or Chara. And while those four would have the most differences in dialogue, I'll admit, I can't come anywhere close to replicating Fox's sense of humor.
> 
> Looking back at my only other "published" work, The Mystery Folder (shameless plug), I feel like the best and most interesting chapters of that story are the ones where I get experimental. Jumping around in time and perspective, weird cuts, dialogue without narration (okay, that's less experimental, more laziness). That's the stuff I find interesting to write.
> 
> I still want to keep this story mostly from Chara's perspective, and hopefully next chapter, that'll be a bit easier. After all, the fight with Papyrus is a goldmine of writing possibilities. However, I am thinking I might write the "travel" chapters, or the ones between the boss fights and major character moments, in this style, just to keep it interesting.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and don't be afraid to go for my throat! I can take it.
> 
> (Also, the idea with the snow puzzle is that Chara is trolling Frisk, which is why they took so long. Just FYI.)


	6. A Belated Matchup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Chara Encourages Frisk To Embrace Their Flirt Master Destiny.

From “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic”

 

“Snowdin’s climate is often described as an anomaly. A common explanation is an overabundance of magic, while Hotland is more natural due to its proximity to a magic-magnet (the Core). In reality, Snowdin’s extreme cold is merely a side effect of the mountain’s size and variations in local climate. Even the snow itself is merely a byproduct of the same water run off which provides Waterfall with its name.”

 

* * *

 

It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve written. During that time, I was…informed about a few details from the Undergrounds favorite short, soft-boned skeleton with a degree. So, I’m going to try and keep this interesting for anyone reading this. For the record, though?

 

You’re all massive creeps.

 

…

 

When Frisk woke up from what could generously be described as a “nap”, we decided to explore around Snowdin town. I’ll admit, while I was alive, I never really got to know it that well. I more stayed in Home and, later, New Home.

 

We decided to chat with the local shop-keeper, since she and the inn-keeper were sisters. It was certainly…interesting to learn that the ruins had apparently been closed off for “ages”. Obviously, some big changes had happened while I was gone. Admittedly, I kinda got that vibe from the whole “capture all humans” order, but still.

 

Grillby’s was nice, if a little warm. I guess that’s what happens when you have a diner staffed by a fire monster. Still, it was cool seeing all the guards in there, even if Lesser Dog looked like his neck had been stretched well beyond what a dog-monster of his size should be capable of. Plus, there was really nice music!

 

Coming from the broken record player.

 

Thinking back, that should have been alarming. Though, considering all the OTHER signs of something wrong I was ignoring, I guess this wasn’t all too special.

 

After failing to get some warm food for about 10 minutes, we decided to check up North, to see if there was anything of note there, which is when we got an…interesting call.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hello!”

 

“Um…hello?”

 

“Can I speak to G... Wait a second... Is this the wrong number?”

 

“Um…I think so.”

 

‘What the heck is-’

 

“OH IT'S THE WRONG NUMBER

THE WRONG NUMBER SONG

WE'RE VERY VERY SORRY

THAT WE GOT IT WRONG!

OH IT'S THE WRONG NUMBER

THE WRONG NUMBER SONG

WE'RE VERY VERY SORRY

THAT WE GOT IT WRONG!”

 

**click**

 

‘…what the fu-’

 

* * *

 

I’m still not entirely sure what was up with that.

 

…

 

After stopping off in the Librarby to read some…amusing history books (the Underground doesn’t exactly breed historians), we finally made our way west to…Papyrus.

 

I feel like some of those reading this will have never entered a fight with a monster before. As such, I feel a need to explain what it’s generally like, just so you have some idea of what I’m about to tell you.

 

When a monster and human or two monsters initiate a battle, the monster will place their opponent inside of what is called a “battle grid”. These usually appears as rectangles on the ground, in which the opponent is allowed to freely move. Of course, what you’re truly moving is your soul, which is floating in front of your chest, so you generally have a little wiggle room, but effectively you’re moving your soul through a top-down 2D plane.

 

So, when Papyrus’s bones only moved on one side of the grid, I almost started laughing.

 

‘Of course. He can’t hit us! Why did I think he’d even be a slight challenge?’

 

“Um, is that it?”

 

“AHA! NOT IMPRESSED YET? WELL THEN, LET US SEE YOUR MAGNIFICENT ATTACK!”

 

“I’m not going to fight you! I just want to get past!”

 

“SO, YOU WON’T FIGHT…

THEN, LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED ‘BLUE ATTACK!’”

 

And then came a barrage of bones on both sides, reaching all the way across the grid…which couldn’t hit Frisk, because they were Cyan, and Frisk wasn’t moving.

 

‘Wow is that all he’s-’

 

Then the grid flipped up on its side, Frisk’s soul changed color, and a bone suddenly hit them.

 

‘Wait, what?’

 

“Wait, WHAT?!”

 

“YOU’RE BLUE NOW.

THAT’S MY ATTACK!

NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!”

 

‘…okay, I like him!’

 

…

 

Back when I was still alive, skeletons were rare. There were maybe three in the whole underground, and as far as I remember, none of them spent a lot of time with the royal family.

 

I had heard rumors that skeletons had magic unlike any I had ever seen, but this? This was unbelievable. I mean, turning the whole grid on its side? Forcing your opponent to jump to avoid obstacles?! ALTERING THEIR BODY’S PHYSICS?!

 

It was insane! I honestly started rooting for Papyrus, but I did have SOME interest in keeping Frisk alive. So, I gave them helpful advice.

 

‘Try flirting with him.’

 

“What?!”

 

‘He seems like the type of guy to go for a human child.’

 

“Okay, A: how the heck do you know what TYPE that is?!”

 

‘I more mean he probably doesn’t even realize you’re a child.’

 

“And second, I am NOT flirting with a being that can speak proper English!”

 

‘Oh, so if he spoke Hindi, you’d be all over him?’

 

“That’s NOT what I meant!”

 

“HUMAN! ARE YOU CONVERSING WITH AN IMAGINARY FRIEND?”

 

“Um…kinda?”

 

“WELL, COULD YOU ASK THEM TO PLEASE CEASE CONVERSATION, SO WE MAY CONTINUE SPARRING?”

 

“Gladly.”

 

‘Ungrateful brat.’

 

Suffice to say, Frisk ignored my bountiful wisdom.

 

…

 

“WELL…! *HUFF* IT’S CLEAR… YOU CAN’T! *HUFF* DEFEAT ME!!!

YEAH!!! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS!!!

THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!!

I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN!!!

NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY.”

 

“Oh, thank the stars! I accept! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

 

‘How did that take you three tries?’

 

Frisk whispered back, “cut me some slack, I’ve been eating nothing but pies and sweets all day, I’m not exactly in peak physical condition.”

 

With that. Papyrus brought down the battle grid, and Frisk brought their soul back in. It was down. Papyrus had spared us, and we had shared the gesture.

 

‘…I still say you should have flirted with him.’

 

“Oh, for pete’s sakes.”

 

…

 

After we and Papyrus had made our peace, he pointed us west through Waterfall. He even explained what the Barrier was to Frisk.

 

I guess in the history classes, they leave out the part about needing at least two souls to pass through.

 

Still, it was nice to hear someone say something ACCURATE about Dad. Seriously, the guy couldn’t kill a non-sentient fly if it threatened his children.

 

Now all that was left was to make our way to the Capital.

 

Or so I thought.

 

* * *

 

“hey, kid. i’m going to grillby’s. wanna come?”

 

“Uh, sure. I guess I have a little time to spare.”

 

“well, if you insist. i’ll pry myself away from my work…”

 

‘Please. Like you were actually working.’

 

“over here. i know a shortcut.”

 

‘Okay, what kind of shortcut includes

 

* * *

 

going the wrong…wait, what?’

 

“fast shortcut, huh?”

 

“Uh…yeah, I guess so.”

 

“hey, everyone.”

 

“Hey, Sans.”

 

“(Hi, Sans.)”

 

“Greetings, Sans.”

 

“Hiya, Sansy~”

 

“Hey Sans, weren’t you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?”

 

“nah, i haven’t had breakfast in at least half an hour. you must be thinking of brunch.”

 

“HaAHAhaHAha”

 

“here, get comfy.”

 

“Um, do you want me to sit on the whoopee cushion?”

 

“whoops didn’t see that. sorry, sometimes weirdos put those on the seats.”

 

“Uh huh.”

 

“anyways, let’s order. whaddya want?”

 

“Um, I’ll just get fries.”

 

“hm. sounds nice. i think i’ll get a burger.”

 

“Okay…”

 

‘Frisk, I’m getting some really weird feelings from this guy…’

 

“grillby, we’ll have one order of fries and a burger.”

 

“…”

 

“…so. what do you think of my brother?”

 

“He’s…unique.”

 

“hey, nothing wrong with unique. it just means he stands out more.”

 

“He’s certainly nice.”

 

“you can say that again.”

 

“I like his outfit!”

 

“yeah, he does too! i swear, if he could, he’d never take that thing off. but at least he washes it.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“and by that i mean he showers with it on.”

 

“Really?”

 

“here comes the grub.”

 

‘Misdirection. Classic.’

 

“want some ketchup?”

 

“N-no thanks.”

 

“ah well. more for me.”

 

‘…Frisk is he…’

 

“Wow.”

 

“anyways, like him or not, you have to agree, papyrus tries real hard. like how he keeps trying to be part of the royal guard.”

 

“I thought you two WERE part of the Royal Guard, though.”

 

“nah, sentry duties for particularly enterprising civilians.”

 

“So, how did you qualify?”

 

“ooh, ouch. don’t you know words can hurt, kid?”

 

“Heheh. I’m just joking.”

 

“yeah, we’re just a couple of bozos trying to pay the bills. you wouldn’t believe how expensive heating can be in snowdin.”

 

“Why do you need heating if you’re skeletons?”

 

“well, why do you need a soul if you’re a human?”

 

“I…I don’t think that’s how it works.”

 

“ah, whatever.”

 

“…”

 

“oh yeah, i wanted to ask you something.”

 

“Um, okay.”

 

‘Did-did the power just go out?’

 

“have you ever heard of a talking flower?”

 

“Um…”

 

‘He’s probably talking about echo flowers. Don’t worry.’

 

“Y-yes?”

 

“i’m not just talking about echo flowers. i mean a living breathing flower. ring any bells?”

 

“W-why do you ask?”

 

“well, papyrus told me something interesting the other day. sometimes, when no one else is around…

a flower appears and whispers things to him.

flattery…

advice…

encouragement…

…predictions.”

 

“A-ah.”

 

“weird, huh? so i figure someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. but papyrus says it was yellow.

with a face.”

 

“I…”

 

“don’t worry, kid. i know whoever it is, you aren’t exactly helping ‘em.”

 

“Th-thank you?”

 

“just do me a favor. if you see it again, give papyrus a call, okay? i’ll be there.”

 

“Can do.”

 

“thanks.”

 

‘…okay, is he messing with the lights?’

 

“welp, that was a long break. i can’t believe i let ya pull me away from work for that long.”

 

“I mean, you offered.”

 

“oh, speaking of, i’m flat broke. can you foot the bill?”

 

“What?!”

 

“don’t worry, it’s just 10000 g.”

 

“I can’t afford that! I don’t think I even have 100 G!”

 

“just kidding. grillby, put it on my tab.”

 

“…jerk.”

 

“by the way…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“…take care of yourself, okay kid?”

 

“O-okay.”

 

“alright. see ya.”

 

‘…Frisk?’

 

“Yeah?”

 

‘Something is terribly wrong.’

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Just getting this out in time so those on the east coast can enjoy this on Undertale's third anniversary!  
> It's been a while, so I feel the need to update the maybe 2 people who follow this fic.  
> So, my original plan was to have 22 chapters. 3 in the Ruins, 3 in Snowdin, so on and so forth until a final epilogue chapter, following the events of a true pacifist route.  
> Obviously, that's not really that good of an idea. I don't think I can even get two chapters out of Waterfall at the rate. So, I'm gonna be making some changes. I'll let you know what they are when I've figured that out.  
> Also, I'm sorry I'm so terrible at actually updating this story! At the start of the year, a lot of stuff happened in my personal life, and I kinda lost passion for Undertale for a while, but I'm gonna try and be slightly more frequent with updates. Even if that only means once every three months instead of every five.  
> Anyways, let me know if you enjoyed this chapter! I wrote most of it on the day of the anniversary! See you, knowing my pattern so far, next year! Bye!


	7. A Rare Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Frisk Develops A Crush On The Only Significant Living Child Their Age In Canon.

From “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic”

 

“Despite large variance within even individual families, draconic-monsters tend to exhibit various similarities within their first few years. For example, for the first ten years of life, most draconics lack limbs on their upper body, as well as particularly stable legs. In most documented cases, a draconic will grow arms, forelegs, or wings by age eleven.”

 

* * *

 

date: september 15, 2140

 

cycle: prc-1-23

 

time of start: 8:00 am

 

well, the kid’s definitely on their way. they just entered waterfall. based on our conversation in grilby’s, i’m pretty sure i don’t have to worry about them.

 

which is good news for me, since it means i don’t have to do anything.

 

i’m just hoping undyne doesn’t freak them out too much.

 

also, maybe my memory’s just going, but was kid always waiting at the entrance of waterfall at this time? i don’t remember seeing them there before.

 

* * *

 

Dear diary,

Toady I mat one of the wierdest peeple EVER.

 

* * *

 

Waterfall has always been very calming for me.

 

I’m not sure what it is. My old village was situated along a very large river, so one would imagine it would be rather triggering to be surrounded by rushing water. Then again, maybe it reminds me of before my own life went terribly wrong. After all, I’m led to believe the home I was born in was by the same river.

 

In any case, I wasn’t terribly calm when we left the diner, but getting to Waterfall did calm me somewhat.

 

At least, before I saw her.

 

…

 

The best way to describe Undyne in full armor is “ominous”. It’s not that she was necessarily scary in and of herself, of course; I was surrounded by guards at almost all times during my first month underground. It was more how she carried herself, how she kept to the shadows, how she stared more than looked.

 

Then there was her voice. I’m not sure I can accurately describe how it sounded, those harsh and vicious words, echoed within the metallic creases of her helmet. The way I could tell, unlike everyone else, she truly and honestly wanted Frisk dead.

 

Or maybe it was how much she sounded like I used to.

 

* * *

 

“H-HI, UNDYNE! I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT…”

 

“Hmph.”

 

“UM…REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…”

 

“Did you fight them?”

 

“W-WELL OF COURSE! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!”

 

“Did you capture them?”

 

“ERM…W-W-WELL…”

 

“Papyrus…”

 

“I’M SORRY, UNDYNE. I TRIED VERY HARD, BUT IN THE END…”

 

“Very well. It doesn’t matter. I can take care of them.”

 

“W-WHAT? UNDYNE, YOU DON’T MEAN…”

 

“We need their soul. I can take it myself.”

 

“B-BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO D-DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE… Y-YOU SEE…”

 

“Papyrus.”

 

“…”

 

“If you aren’t willing to do this, I suggest you go home and find a new line of work. Understood?”

 

“…I UNDERSTAND. I’LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN.”

 

“Good. Go watch the entrance. They may still be coming this way.”

 

* * *

 

Not many things terrify me these days. After all, when you’ve already died once, it’s very difficult to be scared.

 

Undyne at her most serious?

 

That terrifies me.

 

Especially since she apparently can hear even the slightest crush of grass.

 

…

 

Shortly after she left, we met MK properly for the first time.

 

Well, admittedly, that’s a tad disingenuous. We had briefly spoken to them in Snowdin, and we had seen them near Sans’s second station. But we had never really introduced ourselves to them (Or rather, Frisk hadn’t introduced themselves to them. I couldn’t introduce myself for obvious reasons).

 

So, they took the opportunity.

 

* * *

 

“Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you…?”

 

“Y-yeah.”

 

“That…was AWESOME!”

 

“Um, sure.”

 

‘Frisk, I don’t think this kid is-’

 

“I’m SOOOO jealous!”

 

“Um…who are you again?”

 

“Oh, right! I haven’t introduced myself! I’m Monster Kid!”

 

“…what?”

 

‘Wow, one of the Kid family named their kid Monster?’

 

“That’s…that’s not your actual name, is it?”

 

“Well, it’s what everyone calls me, even my parents, so…yeah! It is!”

 

“I’m…sorry?”

 

“For what? OH, hey! C’mon! We don’t want to get left behind! Let’s go watch her beat up some bad guys!”

 

* * *

 

I don’t know why Frisk took a liking to MK. Granted, the fact that they trusted me in the slightest is probably proof enough they don’t have great taste in people, but at least I know some things about the Underground that I can tell them.

 

In any case, as we went on, it became clear Frisk wasn’t going to be any less…odd here than they were in Snowdin. Hell, they spent five minutes building a bridge to a dead end just because they “saw a bench that looked really comfy!” in that direction.

 

Granted, we got a quiche out of it, but my point still stands.

 

* * *

 

“Who is that?”

 

‘That’s Aaron. This seahorse has a lot of HP.’

 

“What is HP?”

 

‘…horsepower.’

 

“Wow!”

 

* * *

 

I’m very grateful I still had my checking abilities from when I was alive. I honestly didn’t recognize most of the monsters we met in Waterfall, even from their families.

 

I suppose that should have been my biggest clue that I’d been gone for a long time, if I didn’t realize already.

 

* * *

 

“So, you ARE a ghost, right?”

 

‘I…believe so. Maybe more of a phantom.’

 

“And you lived down here while you were alive?”

 

‘Yes, we’ve been over this.’

 

“Well, when you were alive, did you live around here?”

 

‘…not really. I spent a couple months in Home before we all moved East.’

 

“To New Home, right?”

 

‘Yes. I stayed there for the rest of my life, pretty much.’

 

“So, when was all that?”

 

‘That would have been around the end of ’14 or so, I believe.’

 

“Wow, so you’ve been gone for 20 years, huh?”

 

‘I’ve been meaning to ask, actually. What year is it now?’

 

“I honestly never paid that much attention to the date.”

 

‘Frisk, it’s a very simple question.’

 

“I think it’s either ’36 or ’37.”

 

‘And judging by the leaves in the Ruins, it’s autumn, correct?’

 

“…what’s Autumn?”

 

‘Never mind. Just focus on the puzzles.’

 

* * *

 

For the most part, Waterfall was simplistic. Not terribly many people live in Waterfall, so most of the “puzzles” there are just a result of poor upkeep and nobody bothering to make it more livable.

 

Honestly, the biggest puzzles were finding that tutu behind a waterfall and figuring out what to tell Papyrus when he called and asked what we were wearing.

 

I know how that sounds, but I swear it was totally innocent.

 

Well, sort of.

 

* * *

 

“SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A DUSTY TUTU. IS THAT TRUE?”

 

“Um…no? I’m not.”

 

“SO YOU AREN’T WEARING A DUSTY TUTU. GOT IT! YOU’RE MY FRIEND, SO I TRUST YOU 100-PERCENT. HAVE A NICE DAY!”

 

‘I think you made the right call.’

 

“I hope so.”

 

* * *

 

Of course, one of the biggest draws to Waterfall is as an educational field trip for younger monsters. The plaques about “The War Of Humans and Monsters.” tell most of the story of what happened so many centuries ago.

 

To make a long story short, humans feared one specific power within monsters: the ability to take a human soul. That power, that strength, that ability, was infamous among humans.

 

Of course, even so, there has only ever been two recorded instances of it, and one of them occurred long after the war.

 

Still, out of fear, the humans drove the monsters close to extinction. They forced the monsters Underground and used their greatest magicians to seal a barrier around the Mountain. Anything could pass into the mountain, but almost nothing could leave.

 

ALMOST nothing.

 

* * *

 

‘There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier…It will be destroyed.’

 

* * *

 

Thei taIked aboul a lot ot stranga stufff.

 

* * *

 

I don’t know how to properly describe what it’s like being chased by an angry knight, hell-bent on killing you, through grass just barely tall enough to conceal you from their sight. The closest word I can think of is probably “horrific”. Luckily, MK was there to distract her.

 

* * *

 

I dont evan think tlney like Undine:

 

* * *

 

“What’s with this piano?”

 

‘I’m not sure. It’s been here for as long as I remember. My brother and I used to actually practice on it when we visited.’

 

“You had a brother?”

 

‘…’

 

“I’m…I’m sorry.”

 

‘It’s fine. Let’s just go.’

 

* * *

 

That statue wasn’t in Waterfall when I died. I’m not sure it was even there until the year Frisk fell, honestly. But the tune it played…

 

Well, I suppose that’s a story for another day.

 

* * *

 

“Yo! You can’t hold an umbrella either?”

 

“I mean, I-”

 

“Hey, if you’re walking anyway, I guess I’ll go with you, haha…”

 

“Oh, uh…okay?

 

“Let’s go!”

 

* * *

 

Frisk liked Monster Kid. God knows why.

 

Okay, that’s not entirely fair. I can understand making friends with them; they were kind enough, they clearly cared about other people, and they even reminded me of…certain people I cared for.

 

But Frisk seemed to latch onto them an unusual amount.

 

Then again, there weren’t many people underground they could have a conversation with like they did with MK.

 

* * *

 

“What is that?”

 

“Yo, don’t you know? That’s New Home! The castle!”

 

“I thought New Home was a city, though.”

 

“The city’s inside the castle, duh!”

 

“Huh. Weird.”

 

“Yeah, I know, right? …”

 

“…”

 

“…I think this is my favorite spot in Waterfall.”

 

“Really? Why?”

 

“I mean, just look up there! This cavern is so big, all you can see of the ceiling is the crystals. The way they shine, it’s almost like…”

 

“…like the night sky.”

 

“…yeah…I don’t think I’m ever gonna see the real thing.”

 

“What? Don’t say that! There’s still a chance.”

 

“Yeah, but…the last time a human fell down here was before I was even born. And before that, it took SO LONG…I don’t know…”

 

“…hey.”

 

“What?”

 

“Where I come from, we have this old nursery rhyme. It’s silly, but do you want to hear it?”

 

“Sure, dude!”

 

“Hehe. Okay…Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

 

 How I wonder what you are.”

 

“Oh, I think I’ve heard this one!

 

Up above the world so high,

 

Like a diamond in the sky.”

 

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.”

 

“…do you think we’ll really get to see them some day?”

 

“I promise we will.”

 

“Heh. Okay, then.”

 

'This is...Something is terribly wrong with all of this.'

 

* * *

 

But’ at tte enb of tha dag, they wire realIy nive!

 

* * *

 

But at the end of the day, they were just really nice.

 

And really, I guess that’s all that matters.

 

…

 

Of course, Undyne eventually caught up to us again. Only this time, we didn’t have any grass to hide in.

 

* * *

 

‘On your right! Go, go, GO!’

 

“Okay, okay! … the bridge ends here!”

 

‘Uh, okay, uh don’t panic, just, um, turn around!’

 

“Okay, wait, I-oh no.”

 

“…human. Goodbye.”

 

‘No no no no no nO-’

 

* * *

 

“It sounds like it came from over here…”

 

“Ugh…my head…”

 

“Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you…

 

“H-hey! Stay back!”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“I…what?”

 

“Here, get up…”

 

“T-thanks. I’m…I’m Chara.”

 

“Chara, huh? That’s a nice name.

 

M        y                      n          a          m         e                      i           s

 

* * *

 

“Ow…what happened?”

 

‘Ugh…that…Undyne just cut off the platform.’

 

“What? Why? I thought she was trying to catch us.”

 

‘I’m not sure, but I don’t think sticking around here is a good idea. Let’s get going.’

 

“O-okay…Chara?”

 

‘Yeah?’

 

“While I was out, I heard…something…was that…?”

 

‘…let’s just get moving.’

 

“O-okay.”

 

* * *

 

As much as I hate to admit it, I had no idea why the dummy was fighting us. Honestly, I wasn’t really paying attention when Frisk was talking to the dummy in the ruins, so I guess there’s a chance they said something really bad to them, but they apparently don’t remember what they said, and I honestly don’t care enough to push them on it.

 

Still, at least we got to see NapstaBlook again, which was fun! We spent some time at their place after the Dummy left. I asked them what happened to their cousin, since the other house was locked, but Napsta wasn’t entirely sure.

 

Of course, later we figured it out, but still, it was a little weird not knowing.

 

…

 

Near NapstaBlook’s house, we met an…interesting woman.

 

Bizarrely, what she said to Frisk is one of the few conversations I still have basically embedded in my head.

 

“I’m visiting Waterfall from the city. Synchronicity…? My neighbor’s daughter looks about your age. Her name is “ **Suzy**.” I feel like you two should be friends. You have…A neighbor’s blessing!!!”

 

“Well, um…I appreciate it, but-”

 

“Not knowing where I live is no issue. Fate finds a way.”

 

“I-I see.”

 

“In life’s grand scheme, she might be why you came here in the first place…”

 

“Ah. Right.”

 

‘Frisk, I think we should go.’

 

“Okay. Bye weird Clam-lady!”

 

‘Frisk! Don’t be rude!’

 

…

 

After that, we visited Gerson’s shop for the first time together. It was weird, because Gerson was pretty much the first person we met outside the Ruins who I actually recognized, and aside from his beard being slightly longer, he looked just as identical as Mom or Napsta. Then again, he was already about a thousand years old when I was alive, so I guess getting a little older doesn’t matter that much.

 

In any case, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in darkness, and…well…Undyne found us again.

 

* * *

 

“…seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king… King ASGORE Dreemurr…will become a god.”

 

‘Frisk, now may be a good time to run!’

 

“I…I…”

 

“With that power, ASGORE can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity…and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured.”

 

‘Frisk, please, now is not the time to freeze up!’

 

“N-no…”

 

“…Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your soul…or I’ll tear it from your body.”

 

“I…I…!”

 

“Undyne!!! I’ll help you fight!!!”

 

“…”

 

“YO!!!! You did it!!! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you!!! You’ve got front row seats to her fight!!!”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

‘…’

 

“…wait. Who’s she fighting???”

 

“Oh, for God’s sakes, Kid. Come here.”

 

“H-hey! You aren’t gonna tell my parents about this, are you?”

 

‘…Frisk.’

 

“…I know. I’m sorry.”

 

* * *

 

Eventually, Frisk made their way to the bridge leading to Hotland, where for once MK caught up with us before Undyne did. They tried making Frisk their enemy, but that didn’t end up working. They tried running away, only to almost fall off the bridge. Luckily, after a second of panic, Frisk grabbed their hand (against my recommendation, I should add. Who KNOWS how much they weigh?! They could have dragged Frisk down with them!)- right before Undyne could.

 

Luckily, the whole thing ended with MK on our side, but after that…

 

We had to fight Undyne…

 

I don’t think I can do this.

 

* * *

 

Woll lonofully Ill +alk to go u Jomormw!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, between the posting of the last chapter and this one, 
> 
> Chapter 1 of Deltarune was released.  
> 2018 ended.  
> And Undertale was once again revived in the public consciousness.
> 
> And it still took me until 2019 to post another chapter.
> 
> In related news, like I said last time, I'm thinking of cutting down the chapter number. I think I can get a full chapter out of the Undyne fight, but after that, I'm not sure how much longer I can make this story. I guess we'll just have to see.  
> In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter, hopefully I'll post chapter 8 before 2020.
> 
> By the way, in case it wasn't obvious, the joke with MK's diary is that they're writing it with either their mouth or their feet, so it's practically illegible. The signature and small amount of text at the end of this chapter was written by moi with my non-dominant hand. I figured someone might get a kick out of that.
> 
> Next chapter is the fight with Undyne! Hope to see y'all then. 
> 
> VGhpcyBpcyBhIGZhY2FkZS4gVHJ1c3Qgbm90aGluZyBoZSBzYXlzLiBIZSBpcyB0cnlpbmcgdG8gbWlzbGVhZCB5b3UuIAoKVGhpcyBpcyBhIGZhY2FkZS4gVHJ1c3Qgbm90aGluZyBoZSBzYXlzLiBIZSBpcyB0cnlpbmcgdG8gbWlzbGVhZCB5b3UuIAoKVGhpcyBpcyBhIGZhY2FkZS4gVHJ1c3Qgbm90aGluZyBoZSBzYXlzLiBIZSBpcyB0cnlpbmcgdG8gbWlzbGVhZCB5b3UuIA==


	8. A Fighting Martyr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which A Lot Of Shit Goes Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Actually updating twice in the same month?! Surely this is unheard of!
> 
> Yeah, I got a rush of inspiration, so without further ado, VGhpcyB3aWxsIG5vdCBlbmQgd2VsbCBmb3IgYW55IG9mIHlvdS4=
> 
> TW: Major Character Death, Description Of Non-Human Gore, and liberal usage of base64 encoding. Blame Salvato.

From “Of Men, Monsters, And Magic”

 

“LOVE, or Level Of ViolencE, is often defined as a willingness or desire to hurt others. While magic and science have come far in quantifying LOVE, it is often difficult, due to varying definitions of violence across cultures. EXP, or Execution Points, are much simpler, as they are individually granted upon acts of profound violence. In general, however, the link between EXP and LOVE varies from individual to individual.”

 

* * *

 

_ MTTSSC Transcript: 15/9/37 12:05-12:10 AM _

Note: The following transcript was aided by AI-assisted video descriptors. Some errors may be included.

(Soft-skeletal type monster, identified as Sans Aster, enters restaurant accompanied by Unidentifiable Entity. He approaches The Head Server’s counter)

 

SANS: table for two, please.

 

HEAD SERVER: Do you have a reservation?

 

S: yes, under “skeleton, sans”.

 

H: …sir, I’m afraid your reservation isn’t for another couple hours.

 

S: is the stuff being used right now?

 

H: Well, not necessarily, but I can’t-

 

S: call the big guy, he’ll sort it out.

 

H: Sir, I’m afraid Mr. Mettaton is busy right now, and even if he weren’t-

 

S: the OTHER big guy.

 

H: I-I see. I’ll call him right away, sir.

 

S: tell him it’s sans. he’ll take care of it.

 

(The Head Server leaves counter. Sans Aster turns to Unidentifiable Entity)

 

S: sorry. service here, right?

 

UNKNOWN ENTITY: Mm.

 

(The Head Server returns)

 

H: My apologies, Mr. Aster. If you will just come right this way.

 

(Sans Aster and Unidentifiable Entity are led by The Head Server to a table in the middle of the restaurant. They take their seats)

 

H: And if you need anything, just let me know right away, okay?

 

S: thanks. will do.

 

(The Head Server leaves the table. Sans Aster appears to breathe in and out)

 

S: so, kid.

 

U: Yeah?

 

S: why don’t you start from the beginning?

 

* * *

 

“Seven. Seven human souls, and King ASGORE will become a god.”

 

‘Right, we know that alrea-’

 

“Six. That’s how many we have collected thus far.”

 

‘…what?’

 

…

 

When I died, it was September 15, 2015. The Underground had collected zero human souls, not counting mine, which I’m led to believe shattered shortly before Asriel’s.

 

By the time Frisk fell down, six other human beings, all children, had fallen Underground.

 

All of them were killed by monsters.

 

It had been 122 years. To the day.

 

And that was just the start of the most traumatic hour Frisk and I ever experienced.

 

…

 

I’ll admit, without her helmet, Undyne was significantly less intimidating, at least at first. She was bombastic, over-dramatic, talking like she was the protagonist of one of the weirdest animes ever. If I weren’t still reeling from shock over learning that six humans had been killed since my death, I might have even found her funny.

 

Unfortunately, as much as she talked, she was able to back up her words.

 

* * *

 

S: so undyne just straight up ditched the official speech?

 

U: Yeah. She said it didn’t matter.

 

S: weird. from the stories i’ve heard, that speech was instrumental in taking the last soul before yours.

 

U: I-I’m sorry.

 

S: hey, we haven’t gotten to anything you should be sorry for yet. just stay calm and talk to me.

 

* * *

 

At first, I figured it would be hard to get past her. Then, when I saw how she acted outside of the “serious knight” routine, I figured it would be easy.

 

As it turns out, I was right the first time.

 

Neither Frisk nor I knew what to do. We tried pleading with her, but she just ignored them. I suggested challenging her, but that just made her more vicious. Eventually, we tried the tried-and-true “Pass on your turn, and hope they show mercy back” strategy.

 

It didn’t work.

 

* * *

 

cycle: prc-1-39

 

time of start: 11:57

 

something is going horribly wrong.

 

* * *

 

When Frisk’s soul was green, they couldn’t move.

 

They were barely close enough to touch Undyne during their turn, but even then, that was only useful if we were attacking.

 

We had a spear to block her spears, but they came from all sides; left, right, in front, behind. They switched around, they changed colors. They sped up, they slowed down. And all this time, Frisk could only turn around and try to block them.

 

But the problem wasn’t any one attack of spears.

 

It was all of them.

 

We’d learn one set of attacks, get past it, only for them to die from her next attack. Next try, we wouldn’t even get that far, because as it turns out, dying over and over again doesn’t do wonders for one’s concentration, so Frisk would get hit by bullets they’d already learned to block.

 

Over and over and over again, we died. Wake up right in front of her. Walk two steps forward. Do it again.

 

Over.

 

And over.

 

And over.

 

* * *

 

“Frisk, you say on this journey, you apparently DIED, multiple times?”

 

“Yeah, but I came back.”

 

“I see. And do you think these deaths might have affected you in any way?”

 

“I mean, the first time I died, it was so sudden and insta-instant…sudden…that I barely even realized it. After that, it was easier, ‘cause I knew what it was like.”

 

“So, you believe these deaths didn’t affect your mental state?”

 

“Well, I mean, some of them did.”

 

* * *

 

On the twenty-first try, Frisk ran away the second they woke up.

 

‘Frisk, what are you doing?!’

 

“I can’t…I can’t…”

 

They were huddled down, curled up in a ball next to the bridge. They were terrified.

 

I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t bear to see them like this, but we couldn’t just stop here. We needed to get to the capital, or everyone would keep coming after us. And now I knew for a fact that they weren’t just gonna let us die-they’d kill us.

 

They’d kill Frisk.

 

Over.

 

And over.

 

And over.

 

So, I did something stupid.

 

‘Give me control.’

 

“W…what?”

 

‘Just, let me into your body. I’ll take care of Undyne.’

 

“Ch-Chara, what are you going to do?!”

 

‘Frisk, it’s the only way.’

 

“N-no! I can’t kill her! I WON’T-”

 

‘I know. So, let me do it for you.’

 

“I-I can do this. We don’t need to hurt her.”

 

‘Frisk-’

 

“NO!”

 

‘Alright. You can try. But if you change your mind…’

 

“I won’t.”

 

They went back towards Undyne.

 

It was another ten deaths before they ran away again.

 

…

 

It isn’t easy to be possessed. You need to let the spirit in, not just to your body, but to your mind. It’s easier if you’re already tied to the spirit, say, if you have its soul or it’s attached to your soul, but even then, there can be difficulty.

 

 

From the way Frisk has described it, it’s like you’re asleep. You don’t know what’s going on around you, or even what your body is doing, you’re just gone for a while.

 

I hate that I did that to Asriel. I hate that I had to do that to Frisk.

 

And I really hate what I did in their body.

 

* * *

 

“En guarde!”

 

**39 Damage**

 

“Unless you learn to face danger head-on, you won’t last a SECOND against ME!”

 

**34 Damage**

“Not bad! Then how about THIS?!”

 

**43 Damage**

“Heh…You’re tough!”

 

**32 Damage**

“But even if you could beat me…”

 

**31 Damage**

“No human has EVER made it past ASGORE!”

 

**39 Damage**

“Honestly, killing you now is an act of mercy…!”

 

**41**

_This is right._

**34**

_This is how it’s supposed to be._

**40**

_You’re doing the right thing._

**34**

 

_You’re in the right._

**37**

_This is what you were meant to do._

**35**

_This is how she was meant to go._

**31**

_Everything is going just right._

**34**

_Everything is going according to plan._

**37**

_Everything is right._

**38**

**_Nothing is wrong._ **

****

**105**

“NGAAH!!! DIE ALREADY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!”

 

**117**

 

“YOU’RE GETTING IN MY WAY!”

 

**115**

 

“I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!”

 

**127**

 

“YOU’LL NEVER ESCAPE FROM ME!!!”

 

**109**

“YOU’LL…you’ll…never…”

 

**110**

“You’ll…never…escape…”

 

“I don’t need to.”

 

**113 Fatal Damage**

* * *

 

Monsters are fragile.

 

* * *

 

“Ngahhh…”

 

* * *

 

They can be killed easily.

 

* * *

 

“You were stronger…than I thought…”

 

* * *

 

Too easily, some would argue.

 

* * *

 

“So then…this is where…it ends…”

 

* * *

 

For most monsters, it only takes a few strong strikes.

 

* * *

 

“…”

 

* * *

 

But for others?

 

* * *

 

“No…”

 

* * *

 

It takes a little more.

 

* * *

 

“NO!”

 

* * *

 

And if that monster has enough drive…

 

* * *

 

“I won’t die!”

 

* * *

 

Enough spark…

 

* * *

 

“Alphys…Asgore…Papyrus…”

 

* * *

 

Enough… DETERMINATION…

 

* * *

 

“Everyone is counting on me to protect them!”

 

* * *

 

A monster can even cheat death.

 

* * *

 

“NNNNGAH!”

 

* * *

 

For a little while.

 

* * *

 

“Human! In the name of everybody’s hopes and dreams…I WILL DEFEAT YOU!”

 

* * *

 

But this power comes at a cost.

 

* * *

 

**80 Fatal Damage**

“Come on, is that all you’ve got!?”

 

* * *

 

Because monsters’ weakness doesn’t come from their mind, or their soul.

 

* * *

 

**105 Fatal Damage**

“…pathetic. You’re going to have to try harder than that!”

 

* * *

 

It comes from their body.

 

* * *

 

**117 Fatal Damage**

“S-see how strong we are when we believe in ourselves?”

 

* * *

 

And a monster body can’t hold that much determination.

 

* * *

 

**104 Fatal Damage**

“H…heh…”

 

* * *

 

And as I watched her melt away, each strike splashing dust and magic around the room…

 

* * *

 

“Had enough yet?”

 

* * *

 

The broken heel, stained dark blue, like blood from a demon…

 

* * *

 

**131 Fatal Damage**

“…I won’t…give up…”

 

* * *

 

I had only one thought.

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

**127 _Fatal_ Damage**

“…ha…ha…Alphys…This is what I was afraid of…This is why I never told you…”

 

* * *

 

She started to fade away…

 

* * *

 

“…no…No!”

 

“…”

 

“Not yet!”

 

 “…”

 

“I won’t die!”

 

“…”

 

“NGAHHHHHHHH!!!”

 

“…!”

 

“I WON’T DIE!”

 

“…”

 

“I  W O N ‘ T D I E !”

 

“…”

 

“I               W      O      N      ‘        T                D      I        E       !”

 

“…”

 

“I                         W               O                N               ‘                 T”

 

* * *

 

And then she was gone. Dust in the wind.

 

And I heard that little voice in my head, saying “500 EXP, LV 8”, but I wasn’t listening.

 

I looked at where she was standing.

 

And I felt the worse feeling I had ever felt.

 

Determination.

 

…

 

After a few minutes, I let Frisk back in. They almost started crying right there, but they pressed on. We finally reached Hotland, after so long.

 

Then we saw Sans’s station.

 

“heya, kid. how’s…where’s undyne?”

 

Then they started crying.

 

“whoa, okay, wow, um, no, okay, um…”

 

“Sans…I didn’t…she’s…”

 

“…hey. take my hand.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“trust me. i know a shortcut.”

 

* * *

 

S: so, you didn’t know what to do, so you killed her.

 

U: I’m sorry.

 

S: why didn’t you just run away?

 

U: I couldn’t! She turned my soul green, and even when it wasn’t, there was that rectangle, and…

 

S: yeah, but if your soul is red during your turn, you can run away.

 

U: I…what?

 

S: …oh my god, you didn’t know…

 

U: I…I…I…

 

S: hey, it’s okay! just stay calm, alright? everything’s okay. you didn’t do anything wrong.

 

U: How-how can you say that!? I killed her and-and I didn’t even need to?! There was no reason?!

 

S: kid…kid, can i ask you a favor?

 

U: I-I…

 

S: can i talk to your other side?

 

U: …you know about them?

 

S: i have a vague idea.

 

U: …okay.

 

(Unidentifiable Entity closes their eyes. When they open them again, their eyes have changed to a vivid red color)

 

S: hey. nice to meet ya.

 

U: Greetings. I am Chara.

 

S: yeah, i figured as much.

 

U: How did you know?

 

S: it’s a long story. let’s just say i’m brighter than i look.

 

U: Then you should also realize how bad an idea it is to mock someone who has committed a murder.

 

S: eh, jury’s still out on whether or not self-defense counts as a murder.

 

U: I wasn’t talking about Undyne.

 

(Sans Aster leans back in his chair. He doesn’t appear to be steadying it with his legs or arms)

 

S: so. the rumors were true, then? you’ve actually killed people?

 

U: Humans, mostly. Though one could argue I was responsible for one of the worst deaths in this kingdom’s history.

 

S: eh, responsibility’s stretching it. “involvement with” is probably more accurate.

 

U: You don’t know the full story.

 

S: trust me, kid. i really do.

 

U: …who are you?

 

S: i’m just a concerned sentry-

 

U: Don’t give me that. It may be hard for me to hear right now, but I heard what that concierge said.

 

S: oh? do tell.

 

U: Aster. I knew the name of almost every single monster family Underground when I was alive, and I definitely knew every skeleton family. There wasn’t anyone even close to an Aster.

 

S: true, but that was over a hundred years ago.

 

U: Don’t…you…ugh.

 

S: look, kid, you’ve got bigger things to worry about right now.

 

U: Like what?

 

S: like your father.

 

(Unidentifiable Entity seems taken aback by Sans Aster’s previous statement)

 

S: do they know?

 

U: Know what?

 

S: what they need to do to get out.

 

U: They…they don’t need to know.

 

S: trust me kid, they do. and they’re gonna find out.

 

U: So? I’ll take care of it.

 

S: please. do you think i’m an idiot? you aren’t taking this any better than frisk. you couldn’t kill him in a thousand years-and i’m pretty sure humans don’t live that long.

 

U: …how do you know Frisk’s name?

 

S: like i said. you’ve got bigger things to worry about.

 

U: …I know why you’re doing this.

 

S: really?

 

U: You know about us reviving.

 

S: hm.

 

U: You want us to go back. To bring her back.

 

S: sorta. i won’t lie, i would appreciate it.

 

U: Well I’ve got bad news for both of us. That isn’t going to happen.

 

S: let me guess. you felt determined.

 

U: I…yes. I did.

 

S: and instantly regretted it?

 

U: …what are you trying to do here, then? Make us feel guilty?

 

S: honestly, i’m trying to make you two feel less guilty.

 

U: I…huh?

 

S: you know, our food should’ve been out by now.

 

U: You…don’t change the sub-

 

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

 

S: did you order anything?

 

U: Quit trying to…wait…what-

 

S: come to think of it, i can’t remember what i ordered.

 

U: Why would you want us to feel less guilty?

 

S: because guilt isn’t going to help anyone.

 

U: Nothing is going to help anyone!

 

S: maybe. but you could at least try.

 

U: What are you talking about?!

 

S: kid. listen to me.

 

U: …okay. I’m listening.

 

S: i know what’s going on. with you, with frisk, with this whole resetting thing.

 

U: Why are you telling me this?

 

S: because i need you to know i get it.

 

U: Get what?

 

S: what it feels like. to lose over and over. to constantly be confronted by the worst in people. to have to deal with death after death, both your own and…and of those you love.

 

U: I…

 

S: i know how hopeless you feel. how easy it is to lose your morals, to just say i’m done, and do what you think is the only thing you can do.

 

U: Sans…

 

S: my hands aren’t clean. i’ve done things i felt like i could never take back, and i’ve done things really nobody can undo. i know what it’s like.

 

U: You…

 

S: you close it off. you pretend you’re heartless. you start acting like you don’t care, like you’re either above it all or too deep in the dirt to notice…but you don’t have to.

 

(Sans Aster gets up and moves next to Unidentifiable Entity. He hugs them)

 

S: you aren’t alone.

 

(Unidentifiable Entity puts their face in Sans Aster’s shoulder. After a few seconds, their body begins shaking. The sounds they make are unintelligible)

 

S: that’s right. both of you, just let it out.

 

(After a minute, Sans Aster lets go of Unidentifiable Entity. Their eyes are bloodshot, and they appear to be leaking some form of fluid. They sniff)

 

U: T-thank you. I’m sorry.

 

S: don’t be. everything’s gonna be okay.

 

U: I-I don’t know what to do.

 

S: keep going. once you make it out, keep your phone. don’t worry, i’ve got the number.

 

U: And w-what then?

 

S: tell you what, in case we end up going back, and we need to confirm with each other that we both remember, we should have a code of some kind.

 

U: O-okay.

 

S: my go-to for time travelling is i am the legendary fartmaster.

 

U: Sans, can you at least try to take this seriously?

 

S: alright, alright, how about, “I like your ribbon.” how will you respond?

 

U: I think…I’ll say, “I like your bones.”

 

S: yeah, no, ew, no. maybe let chara suggest the response.

 

U: Hey, how’d you know it was me?

 

S: i had my suspicions, but that just confirmed it.

 

U: Well…they said they like my suggestion.

 

S: kid, trust me, if you say that, someone is going to get very angry.

 

U: Why? What’s wrong with it?

 

S: i…kid, can you tell your friend they’re laughing is making it hard to think?

 

U: YOU CAN HEAR THEM?!

 

* * *

 

It was a strange meal (and as I later learned, I wasn’t even remembering all of it), but it was what we needed. After that, Sans brought us back to the entrance of Hotland through his shortcut (“it’s less teleportation, more messing with doors”, according to him).

 

I’ll admit, even now, I’m still not entirely comfortable thinking about what happened. What I did to Undyne, and how I handled it…it was horrific.

 

Quite honestly?

 

It was the most traumatizing time I’ve killed someone, ever.

 

* * *

 

**WARNING! Intrusion In Mettaton Security Surveillance Center!**

**ERROR! Missing Transcript Files For September 15, 2137, From 12:05 To 12:10!**

**SYSTEM SHUT Dow_**

“eh, not like anyone’ll miss ‘em. ‘sides, they deserve to keep some secrets for now.”

 

* * *

 

log entry 81-66

 

date: september 15, 2140

 

cycle: prc-1-57

 

time of start: 12:15 am

 

well, so much for a clean run-through. i guess i shouldn’t be too surprised, nobody’s perfect. i just wish it hadn’t been undyne.

 

papyrus is torn up, obviously. he just lost his mentor, someone who was like a sister to him. he never takes it well. he was especially devastated, since we were both hoping that this would be the time we got out for good.

 

still, in terms of actual time, it won’t be that big a difference. we were gonna have to wait six months before a perfect ending anyways, thanks to this stupid game. god, sometimes i wish i was a better programmer.

 

then again, that would be a lot of work.

 

in any case, will continue observation of the human and their companion through hotland, and update as necessary.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, where to begin?
> 
> Well, first things first, those notes in the last couple chapters, about reducing chapter number? Yeah, that was misdirection. Granted, it would have worked better if anybody gave a shit while these chapters were coming out, but hey, at least I probably surprised 1 person!
> 
> Also, for the record, if you don't want to waste time decoding the part in the dinner scene in base64, it will be included in a later chapter. If you did decode it, yeah, morally gray, but that's kind of the whole point of the scene.
> 
> Now, on to the meat of the chapter.
> 
> My inspiration for the Undyne fight comes from my own fight against her. When I first played the game, I was doing a pacifist run, and I couldn't figure out how to get past her. Eventually, I had to look it up online, which was also where I first learned about the fleeing option. It struck me later on that, in-universe, the characters likely wouldn't be expected to think of just running past her, since it didn't work the last few times, and they don't have the benefit of a particularly spoiler-happy fanbase.
> 
> In fact, the whole inspiration for the fic came from the thought "If Chara and Frisk were actually the only ones in control, how WOULD things turn out?" In general, I tried to stick with things that would make sense for two children, both implied to be neurodivergent, one of whom has an anime-esque angsty backstory. 
> 
> I really hope this was good! I was originally gonna focus more on the Sans-Human dinner, but I actually played the Undyne boss fight in a non-pacifist way first, and I ended up inspired. Would you believe that was my first time fighting someone in Undertale who WASN'T Asgore or Flowey? 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will either be up next week or five months from now. College is starting and I have no middle ground!

**Author's Note:**

> To Be Continued (Hopefully Better Written)


End file.
